10 activities for children at home

The education employees' strike begins today and several families are seeing their daily lives turned upside down. We stick together, we call on our village and we hold the fort!
Even while staying at home, there are plenty of fun activities to do indoors to keep your little ones entertained. Here are 10 creative ideas to add fun to these family days.

1. Build a cabin out of blankets:
Use blankets, pillows and chairs to build a magical cabin in the living room. We give free rein to children's imagination by encouraging them to create their own comfortable play space.

2. Organize an indoor scavenger hunt:
Create a treasure hunt by hiding objects in different rooms of the house. We can also involve older children to prepare clues that will guide younger children in their quest for hidden treasure. It will stimulate their problem-solving skills and keep them busy for a long time!
Photo credit: Robbie photographer

3. Create an obstacle course:
With objects found around the house (cushions, hoops, chairs and ropes, boxes), we create an obstacle course for toddlers. Children will be able to climb, jump and crawl, it's good for their coordination and motor skills, in addition to being fun!

4. Cooking:
Put your little chefs to work by organizing a cooking workshop. We go with simple, age-appropriate recipes like popsicles, cookies, fruit salads or mini-pizzas, involving them at each stage. It's a great opportunity to spend time with family while learning new things.

5. Create Artworks with Recycled Materials:
Cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, plastic caps and other recycled materials, everything goes! We put pencils, paints, scissors and glue on the table and we create unique works of art as a family. We can even take the exercise a little further by organizing an exhibition hosted by the little artists.

Photo credit: @badgalmimi

6. Watch a movie, home theater style:
Transform your living room into a cinema room for the whole family. Make special snacks with your minis like popcorn, candy, even nachos , and choose a movie together that everyone loves. Settle in with cushions, pillows and blankets for an extra comfortable cinema experience at home!

7. Set up a sensory play station:
Create a sensory play station by filling shallow bins or trays with rice, colorful pasta, or kinetic sand. Let children freely explore these textures using their hands or tools like kitchen utensils or sand toys. We already did it with buckwheat hulls in a photo shoot for Maovic MP, it was really cool!

Photo credit: Stéphanie Cyr, Photo GD

8. Organize a puppet show:
Help your children create puppets using lost stockings or by gluing a character they have drawn onto a popsicle stick. We let them play freely or put on a fun puppet show for the whole family.

9. Organize a board game day:
Take out the board games and spend a fun day playing with your family! With games adapted to their age or by pairing young and old for slightly more complicated games, we encourage children to interact, learn to follow rules and develop their social skills.

10. Create a cozy reading nook:
Create a cozy reading corner in the house, it can be the magic cabin we talked about above. We have pillows, cushions, blankets and a variety of books that they already like or that they will discover. Little ones (and even adults!) love being read to stories. Encourage them to immerse themselves in imaginary adventures while developing their love of reading.

Photo credit: @melissa_perretta

Even on forced leave, there are plenty of fun and affordable activities to do indoors with our kids. Stimulating activities that nourish their creativity and strengthen our family bonds. Don’t hesitate to put these ideas into practice and create unforgettable memories with your minis. It also works for snowstorm days!

Don’t hesitate to leave your great activity ideas in the comments!